THREE SISTERS

Well I planted stowell's evergreen, pencil cob, golden bantam, country gentlemen, and howling mob in the same 3 sisters garden. Pencil cob was the last to mature. Maybe the later date cut down on cross pollination. The color/shape of the kernels were true to form, but i don't see how it could emerge totally unscathed.
 
Well I planted stowell's evergreen, pencil cob, golden bantam, country gentlemen, and howling mob in the same 3 sisters garden. Pencil cob was the last to mature. Maybe the later date cut down on cross pollination. The color/shape of the kernels were true to form, but i don't see how it could emerge totally unscathed.
As I remember reading about how Sand HIll manages all those corn varieties, he focuses on the tassel timing to prevent cross pollination. So perhaps one of those varieties you listed tassled at the same time. As you like the outcome, perhaps you will save the seed and start a new variety.
 
I'm sure hoping , or is that "Hopi'n" that you get a bumper crop!!:fl

Lasted until the sun started to set and the mosquitos then attacked in droves. NOt sure if the soilution worked because of the low numbers of pests or if it was effective for just a few hours and needed replenishing . . 

BRM is in bulk?? Must have a website then.



My MIL gave me some frankincense oil, well actually she gave it to my DH, but he wasn't using it, ;) , so I did, and among other benefits it instantly took away the sting of a mosquito bite I got when I forgot to put some on the other day for something else. If I put just a tiny tiny dab on they seem to leave me alone. Not sure how well it would work for a full onslaught, maybe use a tad more... Hers was real expensive, but I've found this place http://www.organicinfusionswholesale.com/frankincenseow.html
That sells twice as much for 1/5th the price. (Shhh, don't tell my MIL!)

Bobs Red Mill. I have seen their products from coast to coast! If you're ever in Oregon I know you would love to see the old Water Mill and store. Bob turned the business over to his employees, but he's still there, shooting promotions in their little cafeteria sometimes when I stop by.
Web page for their blue cornmeal, http://www.bobsredmill.com/blue-cornmeal.html?&cat=5
it does not say either organic or Hopi, just blue. It's still good, YEP, I'M HOPI"n" for enough to save and grind. :fl

Seed savers people say you need at least two hundred corn plants to get the genetic diversity you need, since I have no where near that I'll save my best 3-4 ears AND order more from sustainable or elsewhere. Next year maybe I can get closer to that number, but probably not 200! :rolleyes:
 
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Well I planted stowell's evergreen, pencil cob, golden bantam, country gentlemen, and howling mob in the same 3 sisters garden.   Pencil cob was the last to mature.  Maybe the later date cut down on cross pollination.  The color/shape of the kernels were true to form, but i don't see how it could emerge totally unscathed.


Fluff,
I am definitely going to have to till up yet a couple more spots to try some of these other heirloom corns. Stowells especially sounds so intriguing and the story about pulling the plant up by the roots to make it last "fresh"(evergreen) into winter is something I'll have to try! :p
 
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Fluff,
I am defineatly going to have to till up yet a couple more spots to try some of these other heirloom corns. Stowells especially sounds so intriguing and the story about pulling the plant up by the roots to make it last "fresh"(evergreen) into winter is something I'll have to try!
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I would definitely recommend trying multiple types of heirlooms out, but i doubt the story about stowells is true. I've never tried pulling it out roots and all, but the rate at which the sugars convert to starch is very close to the other heirloom sweet corns i've grown. The process surely isn't so slowed down that you could get a fresh ear during winter. The stowells i have left in the garden has already lost all sweetness and is becoming "chewy". I'm saving it to make cornmeal when the kernels completely harden.

In regards to the name i've read two different stories about the "evergreen" part. One story is the one you mentioned about pulling it up roots and all to enjoy when the weather turns cold. The other story is that it got the name "evergreen" because it tolerates temperature a few degrees colder than other corn. The story usually goes that stowells was the only corn to produce during an unusually cold summer.
 
I would definitely recommend trying multiple types of heirlooms out, but i doubt the story about stowells is true.  I've never tried pulling it out roots and all, but the rate at which the sugars convert to starch is very close to the other heirloom sweet corns i've grown.   The process surely isn't so slowed down that you could get a fresh ear during winter.  The stowells i have left in the garden has already lost all sweetness and is becoming "chewy".  I'm saving it to make cornmeal when the kernels completely harden.

In regards to the name i've read two different stories about the "evergreen" part.  One story is the one you mentioned about pulling it up roots and all to enjoy when the weather turns cold.  The other story is that it got the name "evergreen" because it tolerates temperature a few degrees colder than other corn.  The story usually goes that stowells was the only corn to produce during an unusually cold summer.


Well it's so interesting even if it's not quite accurate. I read the Howling Mob was a sales pitch name as well. Have you tried it yet? Could you rank them in terms of best tasting or maybe not likely to get chewy 30 seconds after being picked ? I'd like to eventually narrow my varieties down to just 4, but there are so many to try! :lol:
 
Quote: Perhaps saving all the seed would be worthwhile. Certainly saving seeds from as many different ears as possible is a plus. 200 plants, or 400 ears, is more corn than my family eats in a year.

I looked at Bob's blue corn yesterday and was a bit disappointed at the protein levels. Totaly expecting a 20% protein. THe hunt for higher protien corn continues.
 
Well it's so interesting even if it's not quite accurate. I read the Howling Mob was a sales pitch name as well. Have you tried it yet? Could you rank them in terms of best tasting or maybe not likely to get chewy 30 seconds after being picked ? I'd like to eventually narrow my varieties down to just 4, but there are so many to try!
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It wouldn't hurt to try the stowells myth on a few stalks. Who knows, ripping the whole thing out of the ground might cause some chemical reaction that slows starch conversion. I just wouldn't bank on it working.

I've grown howling mob for the last three years. Of all the white kerneled heirlooms i've grown, it's my families favorite. None of the old school heirloom sweet corn is going to have the over the top sweetness of modern hybrids, but howling mob does have a nice amount of sweetness to it when picked at the right time. The only one i've tried that didn't have the touch of sweetness was country gentlemen. I've also grown it for 3 years and I've decided this will be the last. I made creamed corn out of what i used fresh this summer. Of all i tried, it becomes chewy the fastest.

I know pencil cob usually isn't listed or thought of as a sweet corn, but i would recommend it. If i had to narrow it down to 4 types it would be golden bantam, howling mob, pencil cob, and stowells evergreen.

Imo, the stigma of heirlooms getting hard after 30 seconds is an exaggeration in the opposite direction. If you look at online reviews for heirlooms you'll often hear the "have the water boiling when you pick it" line thrown around like candy in a parade. The general pattern i've noticed is that most of the sweet corn heirlooms have about a 2 week grace period after they mature before the chewyness begins. That is certainly a much smaller window of opportunity than modern varieties, but its not near as bad as reported. Keep in mind most of those old varieties were eaten both as fresh ears and made into cornmeal so that really isn't surprising.

I have a theory the hardness reputation is due to 2 mistakes. The first is not recognizing when they first become mature. They all don't have perfect timing meaning that even planted at the exact same time, one stalk's ears may mature a week or two before it's neighbor does. I can see how someone would look at the first 3 or 4 stalks in a row and decide the whole crop isn't done without realizing there is variance in the maturity date.

The second mistake is reading somewhat misleading descriptions in seeds catalogs. Lots of time seed companies will list various red, blue, and black kerneled heirlooms in the the same category as heirloom sweet corns. Heirloom dent does not equal heirloom sweet. For example i just looked up the description of black mexican in a popular seed catalog. It reads "Very old Indian sweet corn with a distinctively sweet delicious flavor, which many believe no other corn can equal". I realize taste is very subjective, but that bio is pretty close to flat out lie. You'll see the similar things written about blue corn and sometimes even red corn. Heirloom Dent corn doesn't have any sweetness that i've ever been able to detect and i've grown many varieties of them.

Sure its possible to eat fresh assuming you have perfect timing and get it before any color begins to appear, but imo that stuff just isn't meant to be eaten fresh. Also if you plant dent corn within cross pollination range of sweet corn, it will negatively effect the taste of the sweet corn by carrying over the chewyness factor.
 
Quote: Thanks for the details-- this makes a lot of sense. Advertizing has been around a long time!! lol

What I like about the huge variety of traits is that it wasn't only about taste-- just having a variety that could grow well and have food on the table is probably the basis of all the corns up to the mid 1900's.

Here is my take: when corn became a commercial product the farmers benefitted from a product that not only could be harveted all at once by a machine but to also have a very uniform product to sell.

THe newer varitieties are too sweet as I have gone to a low carb diet and sugar has all but disappeared from my house. My tastebuds have changed dramatically and most sweets are too sweet now ( though there are exceptions! lol)

As for the chewiness, this rather interests me as a desired trait. I eat far less food now than years ago, and the chew actually helps me feel like I have eaten a fair amt of food. I am guessing but perhaps the chew is fiberous material and that no one can get enough of. So another reason I would be interested in this variety.

How large are your plots??
 

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